🔗 Share this article The Three Lions to Begin the European Championship 2028 Journey at the Etihad Stadium England’s men’s team will embark on their UEFA Euro 2028 journey at the Manchester City’s stadium, on the condition that they attain the relatively straightforward entry for a tournament hosted across the majority of the UK and the Ireland. Manchester City’s home ground has not staged an England men’s match since May 2016, when the visitors were defeated 2-1 in a warm-up game, but is almost certain to host the Three Lions for their first match on June 10, 2028. The English side are planned to play their last two group stage games at the national stadium, but, in the event of winning their group, their knockout stage opener would occur at St James’ Park. Securing the runner-up spot would mean beginning the elimination stage at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Competition Kickoff and Rally The championship was inaugurated at an ceremony in a London landmark on Wednesday night. High-ranking officials from Uefa and the host football associations were barracked as they arrived the location by about 50 pro-Palestine demonstrators, who demanded the Israeli team to be kicked out from international football because of the situation in Gaza. Banners were held up with phrases stating “Show Israel the red card” and “You are complicit”, while demonstrators chanted: “Kick Israel out.” Tournament Timeline The inaugural fixture of the tournament will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, on a Friday in June 2028, a fixture that will involve the Welsh team if they make it. The national stadium will host the penultimate rounds and the final, which will be staged on July 9, 2028 with a commencement at 5pm. It is hoped that an afternoon start, which will also be adopted for European club finals from next season, will attract families and help reach a wider spectrum of fans. Qualifying Teams The Ireland are due to play their initial fixture at the Dublin stadium and the Tartan Army would play similarly at the national stadium of Scotland. The national sides of all four hosts will take part in the preliminary stage; two guaranteed slots will be set aside for any that fail to qualify for Euro 2028 through the standard process. Locations and Playoffs Aston Villa’s stadium and The North London arena complete the nine tournament locations. Each one will hold at least one elimination game, with the quarter-finals played at every host’s main arena. The draw for the qualifiers will be staged in the Northern Irish capital, which was dropped as a tournament location last year when it emerged Casement Park could not be renovated in time, on December 6, 2026. Leadership Comment “The event will be a tournament for the supporters and a celebration of everything we love about the football – its emotion and capacity to unite individuals.” More than three million admissions, a record for a Euro tournament, are projected to be made available to fans.